After the 2012 off-season, I say the Bucs coaching staff and front office did a heck of a job.

Getting All Pro G Carl Nicks to form the dominate duo with our own top 5 Guard in Davin Joseph to help protect Josh Freeman as well perform our physcial pound the rock philosophy.

I always thoguht Williams/Briscoe/Benn were #2 type WRs. Not bad, but none really broke out, well Briscoe did an excellent job when on the field, so with a strong camp he could unseat Mike Williams. However, I think the addition to Vincent Jackson will bring this WR group a few notches up. Benn is dangerous in the open field and would be a great slot addition. Briscoe could make Williams expendable. OUr WR core is young and talented, and the added top 10 WR Vet will bring there game up, in my opinion.

The draft brought us 3 immediate starters in Barron, Martin and David. We got RB depth thats very, very good. David should be the 3 down WLB we've been looking for. I think we got ourselves a future Safety tandem in Tandy/Barron as well.

Going into the 2013 Draft, looking a little too far ahead, our needs that still need to be addressed:

1. DT: McCoy has had his 2 biceps repaired and the new staff should teach him better technique. Even if he's durable this year, he could benefit from another DT next to him, similar Warren Sapp days when he had McCfarland and Cullpepper. Price and Okoye are reserve options.

2. CB: Talib is a free agent and his off-field concerns have to make you believe Dominik is hesitant to extend him.

3. MLB: This is a question mark. Mason Foster is more than capable of handling the position and with a full off-season and better staff around, he should improve. If he falls flat on his face, then I'd say move him to SLB and look into the MLB replacement.

4. RT: Trueblood will be an FA next year and this years performance will determine if he comes back. Not a bad 2011 performance, but he can play a lot better. Maybe the upgraded o-line addition will improve that.

I wouldn't be surprised if Briscoe is pushed down the depth chart even further. I fully expect Mike Williams to blow up this year like he did his rookie year and the same with Benn.
If Price can stay healthy he will be fine, I wouldn't put it past him ending up being better then McCoy, and I think if McCoy can stay healthy he will be a great one so.. The injuries are areas of concern, but if they stay healthy they will be fine.

I don't think it was a huge blow, more like a " what could have been " blow to our team. I still think with McCoy and Clayborn we can have a nasty D Line. If Price, Bennett and Okoye can give us some we'll be ok... just not monster D lines like Bills, Lions etc...

Yeah, that's a huge blow. What sucks is Achilles tears usually affects players careers. Bowers may not be as explosive and guys like Shawn Merriman never recovered 100%.

Gotta feel for him.

Yeah, I see them talking about Bowers returning this season, I'm not sure he'll ever pan out. Achilles tears take about 18 months to recover fully (as far as strength back in the leg, explosion, etc) but honestly, I've never seen an athlete that relies on twitch to come back and be close to the same. Perhaps Bowers being only 22 may help him... and the fact that HGH still isn't being tested for... which if I'm him, it would be my best friend right now.

Pro bodybuilder from my gym that's on EVERYTHING you could imagine (except HGH, too expensive) tore his Achilles 11 months ago, he was still in a walking boot 4 months ago and he still isn't close to being the same. he just STARTED doing squats a month ago and his calf is so atrophied on the injured leg that it's tough to see anybody that tears his Achilles to be back in 6 months.

Talib looks like a candidate to get tagged next year, assuming no more problems happen.

Talib's contract, if he is extended and performs in 2012, will have an opt out clause for the Bucs in the language of Conduct Policy violations.

I really hope Talib realizes he caught a HUGE break with the charges dropped and that the new tutlage of Derrick Brooks and guidance of a more strict and discplined head coach in Greg Schiano, that he keeps his nose clean.

I have a hard time imagining this because Talib has a temper to the point he never thinks and just acts. He is like this on the football field as well. We'll see if he is this changed man, but for now, I'd still have a hard time trusting him.

Cornerback - We fluked our way into finding a gem in Leonard Johnson, but that one little bright spot is about it. He doesn't seem to be a future starter outside, but more a solid nickel corner. Opportunistic little bugger that kid is. With Aqib Talib playing himself out of town, and Eric Wright on his way to doing the same, the position is a huge need. Victor Cruz just scored again. Fairly deep pool of players here.

Defensive Tackle - Gerald McCoy is playing better, and by playing better I mean playing. Roy Miller has punctuated his return from the abyss of the Raheem Morris experiment by putting on his jersey again. Baby steps, people, baby steps. We really do need a DT, those two look like they can be good, but adding a difference maker here will start to make things difficult for offenses to gameplan this defense. I always held out hope that Brian Price would be that, he showed flashes, and I hope he gets his life together. Shame. Some good options come April here though.

Defensive End - As much as our CB's have been exposed, that is only really the case because we have a hard time generating a consistant rush that gets home. Hopefully, we'll get a healthy Da'quan Bowers and Adrian Clayborn, with Michael Bennett re-upping. The 2012 lesson of importance of depth should be heeded, and addressed as needed. We all know what lightning on the outside can do, and we need that. Just not sure this draft has that pass rush specialist, or even dominant all-down DE.

Luxury picks at LB, S, TE, OT and RB may also be considered in a "BPA" scenario, especially when Day 3 rolls around.

Kind of funny to look back at some of these old posts. Sad to say but I've given up all hope for Benn, he is injury prone and the "can't grasp the offense" rumors seem to have some merit. What a dissappointment Brian Price turned out to be.

I remember posting the minute we drafted him on the Bucs' main board about him, and it being a misfire, only to have an avalanche of fanboys rain down their love for the kid. I just never saw it.

Brian Price, his situation, hurts. I loved the kid at UCLA, I honestly thought he was going to turn out to be the most effective DT in that draft, and an outright theft in round 2. Between the horrific injuries, overweight, family shot, crashed and killed, smacking around rookies.....

A player like him, what he brings to the field, is what I'd love to see right now. Too bad his life fell apart. I truly hope he gets it together. Not so much even as a player, just as a man. Hope he does.

Benn is a 2nd round bust. Price to me is a guy that is out of the league because of injury. He was playing great his rookie year before he got hurt. His injury is very rare, something like both his hamstrings ripped off his pelvis. Hope he comes back after a year off.